Hey There, Neighbor
by smile-lifegoeson
Summary: AU. Lucy lives a very successful life. But others would call it a 'business-over-pleasure' lifestyle. When she gets a new neighbor her life turns upside down. He does everything he can to show her what life is like outside the stuffy suits and lonely offices.
1. Miss CEO

New one shot! This was originally a prompt for Everyday Lives, but as you know I stopped that one. I did keep some of the prompts tho, and this is the first one. The first chapter is really short (I'm really bad a that) But I'm already working on chapter 2!

 _Fairy Tail_ and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia was a woman who everyone adored, and feared. She was the CEO to Heartfilia Corp., a company her father started when she was young that sold house hold items. And with his passing it became hers, and she added a clothing and cosmetic line to the mix.

She loved her new life, but her friends missed the old Lucy. The one who dreamed about being a famous writer and wanted adventure in her life. And every now and then, she missed it too. But her father wanted this company to be hers, so she needed to stay where she was.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her. As she was leaving for work on Monday morning, around 5:30 that is, her new neighbor was moving in.

 _"A little early to be moving boxes, isn't it?"_ she stepped lightly threw the box maze to get to the elevator that had just opened to reveal a tall man in sweats and a hoodie, half asleep too.

"Pardon me," she stepped aside so he could bring out more of his boxes. His dark eyes widened at the site of her, his jaw slacked as well.

"Uh, thanks," he pushed his boxes into the hallway and said in passing, "A little early to be going to work, ain't it?"

Lucy jumped when he spoke, not expecting it. She turned around to answer him but the elevator door closed to quickly.

 _"Just as well. Don't need to get comfortable with anyone, he'll be gone soon enough,"_ she rode down the bottom floor of the cozy building. It only had about 20 rooms, but it was a really nice place for a good price. Everyone told her when she gained her fathers fortune that she should move to the nicest apartment she could find. But staying true to herself she found this little place, it wasn't too far from work either.

Getting in her car, she went over her schedule. Nothing too interesting was supposed to happen today, other than meeting her new neighbor.

 _"Hm. Levy wanted to go to dinner tonight,_ " she hadn't seen her friend in a few weeks, except for the occasional long text about a book she was reading. Maybe they could have dinner at her place with a movie.

 _"Ugh. This weekend is Mira's birthday party,"_ she grimaced as she got onto the freeway, _"I completely forgot! I'll have to get her something.. Maybe I can send Wendy to get her something for me today."_

Lucy hated making her secretary do most of her shopping but she just didn't have the time.

Waiting at the red light she put her head in her hand, "I really need a life.."

* * *

"Good morning," Erza, her second-in-command, said the moment she walked in the door. How she was always the first to arrive, be happily married with a one year old daughter, and stay sane and fit was beyond anything Lucy could comprehend.

"Morning Erza," placing her things down and starting her computer, Lucy looked out the window overlooking the city. The sun was just beginning to rise.

"A few things before we start the day, Mr. Sawarr Junelle wanted to make sure you came to brunch today to discuss.. hmm.. courtship once again," Erza snorted at the thought, Lucy sighed. The man wasn't giving up, "Then Goldmine requested you to come to the warehouse and inspect the new developments."

"What time?"

"After lunch."

"Lets go out early for lunch and eat on the way," Lucy sat in her leather chair and pulled up her email.

"Very well," Erza smirked, "I'll tell Mr. Junelle that you can't make it."

Lucy giggled, Erza almost had a sick pleasure about these things. It was really enjoyable to work with a friend she had known since diapers. She didn't have to be the stuffy business woman around her.

"Oh yes," Erza scrunched her eyes, "The third floor plumbing is out again. I'll call for maintenance as soon as I can."

"Again? We just got it fixed two weeks ago," Lucy pulled out her folder for maintenance calls to check.

"Yes, well, Droy works on that floor. It keeps getting clogged up," Erza growled out.

Lucy held back her giggle for the poor man, "Call someone else this time. I want it fixed for good."

"What kind of maintenance?"

"Good morning, Wendy," Erza spun around in her chair to greet the newcomer.

"A plumber. And a good one," Lucy smiled brightly at her young secretary. Wendy had only graduated college a few years ago but she was already more that Lucy could ask for her. She started out shy and timid but became a good worker and better friend.

"My cousin could do it! He just moved to town but he can fix pretty much anything," the youngest in the room beamed as she spoke of him.

"Could he come in today?" Erza asked.

"I'll have to call him, he just got an apartment and said he was moving in today."

Erza turned back to Lucy, "Problem solved."

Lucy groaned, but kept her comments to herself. She didn't like using relatives of co-workers. She preferred licensed workers.

"Thank you, Wendy," Lucy grinned as she saw that she got an email with coupons, "Also, can you go pick out a present for Mira's birthday? I don't know what yet but I need it sometime this week."

"Sure!" Wendy smiled, but ran out of the room to answer the phone at her desk.

"Are you going to go to Mira's party?"

"I want to," the blonde smiled sadly, "depends on how much I get done this week. With that new store opening next month, I'm swammped."

"Understood," Erza stood and clenched her fist, "than I will make sure that you can Lucy!"

"Thanks," Lucy shook her head, Erza never changed.

* * *

The day went by like normal. She and Erza had a good lunch at Panera bread and got to see the warehouse all before two o'clock. An added plus was Junelle's assistant told her not to worry about the brunch for a while, the pig had food poisoning. She was getting her work done at a quick pace when her cell phone rang.

"Yes?" she didn't even check to see who it was.

 _"Lucy come down the the third floor."_

"Erza? Why? What happened?"

 _"Wendy's cousin is here working."_

"Oh," she had honestly forgotten about that, "I'll be down in a minute."

Saving her work she rushed to the elevator, and she wasn't alone.

"Good afternoon Miss Lucy!" Her elevator mate was Juvia Fullbuster, another good friend that she met in college.

"Hello Juvia. How are you?"

"Juvia is good, Juvia has almost finished with the report from the store in Hargeon. It seems to be doing wonderful!"

"That's great! I was worried with it being a port town."

Juvia nodded, she felt the same. The elevator stopped on the sixth floor for Juvia, "Bye Lucy, see you!"

"Bye, see ya later," the door closed and continued it's decent to the third floor.

Lucy greeted everyone she passed until she got to the bathroom that always gave them trouble. She saw some of her female workers watching from their seats, some were even standing by the vending machines to watch. Which confused Lucy to no end.

She coughed and said, "Excuse me," which got them all back to work.

"What's going on?" she asked Erza.

"You'll see," the scarlet haired woman winked at her boss.

"Huh?"

"That should do it," an oddly familiar deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Thanks for doing this!" Wendy stood outside the mens bathroom, talking to her cousin.

"No prob! You let me crash on your couch for a month, least I could do."

Wendy pouted, "And ate all my food."

The man who had yet to appear laughed, "I payed you back!"

"How much are we paying him?" Lucy asked Erza.

"He said we only have to pay for the part. He came in earlier to look at it, and just now fixed it."

"Oh," Lucy was taken aback at his kindness, but not as much as she was by his appearance.

Ripped jeans, gray shirt with the typical red flannel shirt used more like a jacket, dirty work boots, and a worn out old scarf around his neck. His spiky pink hair was held back by a black headband, which let her see the same dark eyes from early this morning.

"What?"

"Oh, hey it's you," he grinned and held one hand up in a wave.

"You know each other?" Wendy looked back and forth between them.

"Met this morning," he leaned up against the wall, "I moved into her building."

"Well we appreciate the help Mr. Dragneel," Erza smiled, "And hopefully you wont cause too much trouble for our CEO."

"Nah," the man moved closer to the silent blonde, "it'll be fun."

Lucy crossed her arms, this 'fun' he was talking about already sounded like it was going to mess up her life.

"I'm Natsu," he winked at her, "nice to meet ya neighbor."

* * *

Let me know what ya think!


	2. Party

I really hope you enjoy this. At most I'm thinking 5 chapters. But you all know how bad I am with it, so let's just wing it!

 _Fairy Tail_ and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima

* * *

Lucy yawned as she sat up in bed, it was Saturday so she didn't have to get up early. The clock read 6:43 AM, a good time to get up.

She stretched as she went into the kitchen. It had been a long week, made even longer by her new neighbor. He was _everywhere_.

Monday he fixed her companies plumbing. Tuesday she found him at her favorite place for lunch fixing their air unit. Wednesday she went with Levy to visit her boyfriend at his mechanic shop and he was there helping Gajeel with an old truck.

Thursday was the biggest shocker. She had gone to the salon to get her hair trimmed and nails redone and he was there working on the sinks.

By Friday she was looking for him where ever she went, but she didn't see him until she got home. Gripping her coffee mug, she frowned as she thought of what happened last night.

 _ *****flashback*****_

 _Lucy glared at the elevator door to her building as it shut very slowly. It was an old elevator, an older gentleman who had lived here for some time told her to be cautious of it. But she was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed._

 _The trip up to her apartment on the 5th floor was interrupted. But she stopped short when the door refused to open when it was supposed to._

 _She hit the button for it to open several times, but nothing happened. Panic started to rise in her throat._

 _"No, no, no," she grabbed her phone and called the landlord, but being so late he didn't answer. And the maintenance man left early on Friday's._

 _"This can't be happening," she text Erza to see if she could get help before banging on the door, "HELLO? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"_

 _She leaned against the back of the elevator trying to calm down._

 _"OK, someone will get you out. It'll be OK," she told herself, "Don't panic."_

 _Erza still hadn't replied five minutes later so Lucy knocked on the doors again, "IS ANYONE THERE?! THE DOOR IS STUCK!"_

 _Pressing the buttons on the door again to no avail, she started to shake._

 _"Is someone out here?" she heard a male voice on the other side of the elevator._

 _"YES! I'M IN THE ELEVATOR! THE DOOR WON'T OPEN!" Finally, she was going to be fine._

 _"That you Lucy?"_

 _Mentally she groaned. Not him again!_

 _"Yes," she said as nicely as she could."_

 _She heard him snicker, "You ain't scared in there?"_

 _"ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME OR NOT?!"_

 _"Geez, hold your horses. I'll be right back," his footsteps slowly faded out._

 _Lucy gripped tightly to her purse and briefcase. It wasn't that she didn't like him. She did. He was very kind and generous. An honest, hard-working man was hard to find these days. It's just that he made her question herself. This whole week he had been asking her questions that got her thinking a little deeper about her life._

 _"A little early to be going to work, ain't it?"_

 _"Does the boss always eat fast food for lunch? I thought being the boss meant getting to relax?"_

 _"Well, never thought I'd see you in a dump like this," Gajeel hit him in the head for that, "does the CEO ever get her hands dirty?"_

 _She almost hit him for that. But yesterday was the real kicker._

 _"Well, well. Hey there miss CEO. You actually have time to do something for yourself? I'm surprised. The way Wendy talks about ya, it's like you live at the office."_

 _She rolled her head to look at the mirror ceiling. Here she was at 11 o'clock at night stuck in an elevator, alone. The only person who could help her is her neighbor who just moved in. She stayed late at the office so she could actually go to Mira's party tomorrow. That was the highlight of her week, her friend's birthday party. She didn't even pick out the gift._

 _Sighing, Lucy thought_ _ **"Maybe everyone's right.. I need a life.."**_

 _"You still there?"_

 _Anger flared in her chest, "WHERE ELSE AM I GOING TO GO?!"_

 _He laughed, "Just checking on ya weirdo. Get away from the door."_

 _Lucy watched as something was getting pushed into the opening of the doors, forcing them open._

 _"Come on," he grunted once it was wide enough, "can't hold it forever."_

 _Lucy jumped past him right before the doors slammed shut again._

 _"Phew," he smirked at her, "that was close."_

 _Lucy smiled at him, "Thank you. Not sure what I would have done if you weren't home."_

 _"It's almost midnight, where else am I gonna be?" he put his wrench like device over his shoulder, "At the office working on office stuff?"_

 _Lucy glared, "Office stuff?"_

 _"Or whatever it is you do," Natsu grinned, "and it's no problem. I had a feeling it was gonna do that at some point. Gonna let the landlord know tomorrow. Probably can fix it."_

 _As she reached for her keys she realized something, "You know how to fix quite a bit of stuff. Is that what you do for a living?"_

 _Natsu blinked, not expecting her to ask him anything. Especially about himself, "Nah. Just got a lot of hobbies."_

 _"Then what is it that you do?" she opened her door as he did with his._

 _"Kinda in-between jobs right now. So all the handyman jobs help me out."_

 _She nodded, "I see. Well, thank you again."_

 _"No problem neighbor," he winked at her before closing the door._

 _ *****end flashback*****_

She blushed as she thought of him winking at her. It wasn't fair for someone to be that good looking.

 _"RUFF!"_

Her dog, Plue, made himself at home on her feet, "Well good morning to you too."

She leaned down to pet his belly when her phone alerted her of an incoming voice mail.

" _The party starts at 4, Laxus is grilling I believe,"_ Erza's voice was mixed with laughter from her and her daughter, " _Rose and I are picking up the cake if you want me to pick you up. Text me when you decide."_

She laughed, "So she's going to make sure I go, huh. Guess that really means I need a life, don't I?"

Plue jumped up on her leg in agreement. The white Shih Tzu danced, trying to get Lucy to feed him.

"Silly dog," she drained the last of her coffee, planning on getting both of them breakfast when a loud thump was on her door, "What in the world?"

She carefully opened the door, not knowing what to expect. Only to see her strangely attractive neighbor.

"Yes, Natsu?" she hid herself. She didn't need him to see her in her sleep clothes.

"I got coffee," he handed her a mug of still steaming coffee. The odd part was that it was in a regular coffee mug, like he just made it himself, "to thank you."

She took the mug, forgetting about her state of dress, "Thank me? Thank me for what?"

He grinned shyly, "Letting me fix your plumbing at work. I know most stuffy business people like using official businesses and stuff, but I'm really grateful to ya."

"And you waited until Saturday to tell me this? I've seen you everyday this week," taking a sip of the coffee practically took every care away, it was heavenly.

"Well, you go to work so early and get home so late it's hard to tell when you're gonna be here," he rubbed the back of his neck, and for the first time she saw what he was wearing.

Pants. Sleep pants. Sleep pants with the logo for the Magnolia Fairies on them. He was bare chested. And he was..

Lucy's face burned as she gazed at the site before her. No wonder he could fix almost anything.

"We- Well. Yeah. I work a lot," _smooth Lucy. Real smooth._

"I can tell," he laughed, "You ever do anything for fun?"

She was about to say 'of course she did!', when she realized the last thing she did for fun was go shopping for a dress to wear at a business meeting that was coming up.

"I do, in fact, this afternoon I'm going over to a friends!"

"You mean Mira's birthday party? That's what you call fun?"

"How do you Mira?!"

"I'm good friends with her little sister, Lisanna. I'm going too, by the way."

She held back the sigh of realizing that he was now a major part of her life. But then said, "So you think Mira's party isn't going to be fun?"

"Well yeah, she's got a pool. And it's always fun to fight Laxus," he had a wicked grin on his face, "but it's a party. An adult party at that. I mean something _fun_. Like skydiving, or bull riding, or bungee jumping, or surfing or-"

"That's all so dangerous!"

"So?"

His innocent face totally ruined Lucy's reply, "How can that be fun?"

"It's fun because it's something you enjoy doing. A little danger never hurt anyone, ya know," he winked at her again.

"Yeah well, fun for me means going shopping or out to dinner with my friends."

"And when do you do that?"

"All the time!"

"I haven't seen you do anything this week except go see Gajeel with Levy. Seeing metal head must have been a blast," he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yeah well, I've been busy," she took another long sip of his amazing coffee. She was going to have to get the recipe.

"Tell ya what," he leaned on the wall next to her door, "We're gonna go out and do something fun tomorrow."

"Excuse me? I want to stay at home and relax."

"Nope. I'm taking you to do something you've never done before," he scratched his chin, "and I guess that's a pretty long list."

"Who said I was agreeing to this?"

"You want more of that coffee?"

"Huh?"

"Answer the question weirdo."

She looked at her now empty mug and admitted yes, she did want more. It was amazing.

"You want more of my coffee, you gotta go do something with me."

"Are you blackmailing me with coffee?"

"Yepp," he grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth before taking the mug back from her.

"What's in it anyway?"

"Can't tell ya," he looked at her over his shoulder, "family secret."

The door to his apartment closed before she could say anything else.

"Oh!" she shut her door with a little force, "Can you believe him!"

She put her hands on her hips and glared into her living room. Plue turned his head as his master started to talk to herself.

"He waltzes in here, all hot and attractive, fixing everything and being everywhere," she fell into her love seat, "and thinks just because I'm a 'stuffy business woman' that I don't know how to have fun?! I'll show him who knows how to have fun!"

The quietness of her apartment answered here. It was clean and sleek. Something you would see in a modern living magazine. You could barely tell someone lived here except for the house slippers on the floor and Plue.

"But maybe," she sat up sighing, "a little help wouldn't hurt."

 _"RUFF!"_

* * *

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Mirajane Dreyar hugged her the moment she walked in the house.

"Of course, Happy Birthday," Lucy hadn't see Mira in a while, the woman was as radiant as ever.

"Thanks Lucy. Oh, hi Rose!" Mira held her hands out for Erza's daughter but the little girl clung to her mothers neck.

"Maybe later," Erza giggled, "Happy Birthday, Mira."

"Thank you, where's Jellal?" Mira closed the door behind them, bringing them into the living room.

"He's on his way. Just had a few errands to run this morning."

"Alright, as long as he's coming. I'm so glad everyone got to come!" she walked toward the back door, "come on!"

"Yo," immediately, Lucy was greeted by her honorary brother, Gray.

"Hey," she smiled as he tousled her hair, "it's been a while."

"It wouldn't be if you actually came over when Juvia invites you to dinner," he crossed his arms over his bare chest. He was wearing a shirt a minute ago..

"Yeah, well. Sorry," she looked down. A little more aware thanks to a certain pink haired fix it man.

"Don't worry about it," he slung his arm around her shoulder.

Lucy waved at Juvia, who thankfully wasn't throwing glares her way, before water splashed on her face.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" A water balloon had hit Gray square on the chest.

"Whoops. My bad," a familiar voice didn't sound sorry at all.

"Good thing you weren't wearing a shirt," Lucy giggled.

"Natsu," Gray growled, "You stay away from him Lucy. A disaster waiting to happen is what he is."

"That's not nice! At least I don't strip in church!" Natsu pointed accusingly at Gray like a child.

"That was ONE time!"

Lucy stood back and let them bicker. She had no idea they knew one another, "How do you guys know each other?"

They both ground out, "College roommates."

Gray glared harder, "This is Lucy. And you better stop with any funny ideas of messing with her or you'll answer to me."

"Huh?" Natsu finally looked at her, "Oh, hey neighbor!"

"Neighbor?!"

"He moved in across the hall from me.." _and is forcing me to go out tomorrow._

"How can I stay away from her when we have a date tomorrow?" Natsu innocently asked Gray, who sputtered.

"Ain't that right neighbor?" and once again, he winked at her.

Lucy's mind stopped working, " _Did he just say.. DATE?!"_

* * *

 _well well. how do you guys like it so far? Is it going to fast? I'm gonna try my best to write some of this everyday, not sure how successful I'll be, but I am off work next week so maybe I can get a lot of work done! That's my plan anyway. (;_


	3. First Date

Hi everyone! Sorry it's taking me so long to get chapters out! I've had a busy summer.. and now I'm an AUNT! I'm so happy :)

but finally, getting to this. It took me a while to get it but here's chapter 3! I really hope you like it, I'm thinking maybe 3 - 4 more chapters? anyway, enjoy!

I have a Gruvia one shot coming out tonight I think that I'm really excited about. I had to do something to soothe the whole in my heart after this week's chapter..

 _Fairy Tail_ and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima

* * *

Lucy groaned as she heard knocking on her front door. It was Sunday morning, the day after Mira's party... also the day Natsu was taking her on a 'date'. She refused to call it that since he bribed her into doing it.

Glaring at the door from her kitchen, she heard him knock again, "You awake in there, weirdo?"

Grinding her teeth together to keep from yelling that she was _not_ a weirdo, she walked to the door and opened it, "Morning."

That megawatt grin was on his face, "Well hey there, Miss CEO. You ready to actually have some fun?"

"I think I had enough fun yesterday when you through me in the pool," she crossed her arms. He completely ruined her outfit too!

"Nope, that doesn't count!" He grabbed her arm, "Let's go!"

"Wait!" she held onto the door frame to stop him from heading to the stairs, "I have to get my purse!"

"Geez," he narrowed his eyes at her, "hurry up!"

Going as slow as possible, Lucy put her shoes on and made sure Plue had enough water and food for the day before grabbing her purse and locking the door.

Natsu was tapping his foot impatiently, "Can we go now?!"

"And just where are we going?"

"You'll see!" He got a good grip on her arm and ran down the hall.

" _NNGGHHH! What have I gotten myself into?!"_

When they made it downstairs, Lucy saw her car and was disappointed when he walked in the other direction. What they stopped at made her jaw drop.

"This is what you drive?!"

"Whats wrong with it?" he handed her a pearly white helmet. A large red motorcycle was his transportation of choice.

"It's.. it's so dangerous!" Lucy hugged herself, not wanting to admit a small part of her wanted to ride it.

"Didn't I tell you that a little danger never hurt anyone?" he laughed, getting in front of her and securing the helmet to her head, "I like riding it, so I'm gonna ride it."

Grimacing, she asked "Have you ever wrecked or anything?"

"Nope!" he put his own helmet on, his was a gaudy shade of red, black, blue, and flames, "I've only been in a fender bender before and I wasn't even driving. You'll be safe with me!"

She shook slightly as he got on the monstrosity, holding his hand out to her, "Come on!"

The smile on his face and the kind gestures he had done all week put a warmth in her heart she hadn't felt since her mother was alive, "Yeah."

Sliding onto the bike behind him, she felt extremely awkward putting her arms around him. He snorted and slid her arms all the way around until they were snug around his chest. She could feel his defined muscle beneath his shirt, turning Lucy's face a bright pink.

"Hang on!"

The speed they were going at forced the wind to whip around them. Lucy was glad she had a visor on her helmet.

"Come on, Lucy!" he yelled over his shoulder, "Look around!"

Slowly, she opened her eyes to do that, and she was surprised. They were already near the sea, the water was calm and had the sun's rays shining down on it. It was beautiful.

She couldn't help the smile creeping on her face, she turned her head to look at the other side. She saw a pretty meadow filled with flowers, the city was in the distance behind it.

"Wow," she put a little distance between her and Natsu to get the full effect.

He turned down a road going to the beach, a more leisure pace now that she wasn't clinging to him.

"So you wanna know what we're doing?" He yelled again.

"Ye- Yeah!" it was hard to talk over the roaring wind.

"Well," he pointed out to the sea where a small boat was parked on the sand, "There it is!"

"We're getting on a boat? Is that supposed to be fun?"

"Boats are awesome! But it's what we're gonna do on the boat!" he parked the bike near the small boating dock, removing his helmet her smirked at her, "Ever been parasailing?"

She stopped taking her own helmet off, "What?! Parasailing?!"

"Yeah!" he hopped off the bike and opened up the little compartment on the back, "It's so much fun!"

"But- but- You go into the air! And what if the straps aren't tight enough and…"

"You'll be fine!" he took her by the hand and started to walk down the steps to the beach.

"Wait- um… Can't we think of something else to do?" she gulped as they approached the boat.

"No way! I already got it ready to go!" He jumped onto the boat and held his arms out for her to grab onto, and with ease pulled her up.

"Whose boat is this?" Lucy sat down on the side, watching him get the boat moving into the water.

"It's mine," he closed his eyes as the wind caressed his face.

"You own a boat? How.. I mean how can you pay for it.."

Natsu laughed, "I work more than you think I do."

Lucy kept her gaze in front of her, watching the boat move the water. He was such a mystery. Their apartment building may be small but the rent wasn't something one could pay on little jobs here and there. And then he had his motorcycle and a boat? She was missing something here..

"Alright!" The boat was slowing to a stop, "Ready to gear up?!"

"Uh.." she looked at the harness he was referring to, "How about you go first?"

"And who would drive my precious Dragon when I'm up there? Not you. So come on, let's get ya ready!"

"Dragon?" Lucy asked as he put the straps on her, ignoring how his warm hands brushed her legs and chest.

"Yep. This babies name is the "Dragon Slayer", he tightened the straps and double checked the parachute.

" _Mysterious and an oddball.."_ Lucy thought.

"OK!" he stood back and was about to start the engine, "Hold on!"

The engine revved up and the parachute widened. Lucy was launched into the air, she closed her eyes to avoid looking down. Eventually she felt her speed lessen, and carefully she opened her eyes.

"Wow," the view was phenomenal! Ocean went on for miles, no land in sight.

Natsu turned the boat and Lucy soared to the side, the movement startled her. But she laughed, it made her tummy tickle.

The boat was going faster now, the wind carried Lucy like she flying on wings.

"This is amazing," she spread her arms out to truly feel the breeze.

Down on the boat Natsu watched the CEO enjoy herself. He grinned when she started to move her legs like she was walking. Quickly, he adjusted the ropes so Lucy would get to glide on the water.

"Uh!" feeling herself fall, Lucy glanced to Natsu and only saw him smiling. Her feet touched the warm sea, and the water was so clear! She had never seen such a beautiful sight than the pure sight before her.

It wasn't much longer before Natsu pulled her back onto the boat and got the straps off her.

"So how was it?" He put his hands on hips and waited.

"That was incredible!" Lucy ran her hands through her messy blonde locks, "It felt amazing and it was so beautiful!" she looked back at his grinning face, "Thank you, Natsu."

His face turned a little pink before he went back to steer the boat back to land, "No- No problem."

The ride back to land was much better than the one out to sea. Lucy sat on the nose and placed her hand in the water, letting it run up her arm. Natsu watched her with fondness in his eyes, who knew the uptight CEO could be so cute?

He snorted and shook his head. Cute?

* * *

Lucy was humming to herself when Natsu parked his bike back at the apartment building.

"You awake?" Natsu placed his hand on top of hers.

"Yeah I am," she gave him back his extra helmet, "Thanks again, I'm really glad you made me do that."

Putting both helmets in one hand, Natsu winked at her, "Well we ain't done yet."

"Huh?"

Natsu put his hand on her lower back as they walked inside, "I got more things to show ya! You had one day of fun – that ain't enough!"

Lucy stared at the pink haired mechanic, a small smile on her face.

"Well, I really do want some more coffee. I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Yosh!" he raised his fist, almost hurting himself. They made it back to their doorways.

"Well, thanks again. I'll see you around," Lucy dug for her keys, not noticing the slight pout on Natsu's face.

"What time are you going to bed?" Natsu leaned against his door. It wasn't late, but he assumed the CEO went to bed early to make up for her early mornings.

"After I take a bath, probably."

"A bath?" a shaky breath rattled his voice.

"I like baths, they're relaxing," she unlocked her door before turning to him, "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering if you want some of my epic coffee before bed," he winked.

She was surprised herself with her desire to not leave him just yet, "You want to come over in an hour?"

He blinked, obviously not expecting her to agree, "Sure!"

"See you then, Natsu," she walked in her apartment, not letting him see her blush.

"See ya then, Miss CEO," he too went inside, completely smitten by the adorable blush.

* * *

aaaaand? a little bit of progress. and who thinks Natsu is hiding anything? You'll find out soon!

Love you guys! And whoever has gone back to school, good luck!


	4. Let's Ride

Can you guys believe how much I've wrote lately? I'm surprising myself!

Anyway, this chapter gets a little deeper. And next chapter will be in Natsu's POV! I'm excited for this one :)

Oh, and manga readers... did you read 507? Is your heart healed like mine?! And now we wait again for this new mystery to unveil itself...

 _Fairy Tail_ and it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima

* * *

A few days after her first time parasailing, Lucy was getting ready for work and happily singing to herself. She hadn't seen Natsu much after he came over and they talked over coffee. Basically she talked about her job. Which reminded her that she still didn't know what he did…

"Always avoids the topic…" she pulled on a tan blazer as she thought more about it. Anytime she brought up his work he completely danced around the subject until it was changed and Lucy forgot all about her question.

She even tried asking Wendy! But her secretary only said that he had several jobs. Not all that helpful.

"I guess I'll find out sometime, huh," she asked Plue, who was wagging his tail happily while she scratched his ear.

"Alright," Lucy pulled out her phone, "today is Thursday: I have a meeting today with Mr. Bob at 11… Sting wants to add a restaurant to the store in Crocus, have to call him about it…"

It was then she saw she had a message from Wendy.

"What?"

 _Wendy: Good Morning Miss Lucy! I just wanted to inform you that all your meetings for the day have been rescheduled! Have a nice day off and we'll see you tomorrow!_

"Day off?" Lucy said aloud, but the words didn't really register.

She heard a knock on the door and aimlessly walked toward it, still going over in her head why she could possibly be off today.

Her thoughts came to a halt when a cup of coffee was stuck under her nose.

"Morning Lucy!"

"Oh," she gazed up into his dark eyes, taking the cup from him, "Good morning, Natsu."

"You ready for another adventure?" He asked. He was already dressed in dark jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, boots and his trusty scarf.

"I have to work," she said, even though it wasn't true. She planned on calling Wendy. Taking another sip of his wonderful coffee she closed her eyes to enjoy it better.

"No ya don't! I called Wen and she got you off for the day," he put his hands behind his head, grinning at her.

"Why would you do that?! I have things to do!"

"But todays the only day I can do anything," he groaned.

"You didn't even ask me!"

"Yeah, but you did just drink that whole cup of coffee. So I think I did," he gestured down to the empty mug in her hand. Winking at her when she looked back up at him, her face a permanent pink.

"Well- Well," she sighed, what was the point, "what do you want to do today?"

"Go put on some clothes you don't mind getting a little wet and dirty and I'll tell ya," he took the mug back from her and twirled around to go to his apartment.

Once Lucy closed the door and sauntered to her bedroom she said, "Wet and dirty?"

* * *

Half an hour later, Natsu and Lucy were in the parking garage. Lucy was praying they weren't riding his bike again, it was getting colder outside.

"Here we go," Natsu opened the passenger door to a red F-150.

"Is this yours?" Lucy gladly took his hand for assistance to get in the truck.

"You bet," he closed the door and ran around to get in the driver's seat. Before he cranked it he opened the glove compartment and got a box out.

"So you own this, the motorcycle, and a boat?"

"Sure do," Lucy watched as he put some kind of bandage on his neck, "Why?"

"Just wondering," _how can he afford all this? Just what does he do?_ "What is that?"

"Motion sickness pack," he finally cranked the truck and pulled out of the garage, "I normally have some in my apartment but I ran out."

Lucy's eyes jerked to his, completely shocked. He didn't even act sick!

"OK…" she crossed her legs and her arms, "so where are we going?"

"Gonna be a bit of a drive to get out there so I'll go ahead and tell ya," he turned his blinker on, turning towards a fast food place, "going to a farm my cousin owns. Gonna go horseback riding!"

"Horseback riding?" Lucy was surprised, she was honestly thinking he was taking her somewhere that would kill her legs, "that sounds fun."

"Course it is! Rogue lets me keep my horses out there, I don't get to go see them as often as I'd like."

Lucy smacked her hands on her thighs, "You have horses, too?!"

"Yeah, I got three," he raised an eyebrow at Lucy, "Why? I like animals."

"It's not that! How do you pay for all this? What do you do?!" she placed a hand on her chest, "I don't think I could do what you do, and I own a company!"

Natsu just stared blankly out at the road, Lucy wasn't sure he actually heard her until he said, "You could if you wanted too."

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy continued to watch Natsu as he drove them into the countryside. It took about 20 more minutes to reach their destination.

"Wow," Lucy smiled as she looked around the ranch. It was so beautiful out here.

"What do you think? A lot better than the stuffy city, huh?"

"Well I wouldn't say that," she took in a deep breath of fresh, fresh air, "but this is pretty nice."

"Yo, Rogue!" Natsu yelled out to someone who was walking in their direction.

"Natsu," the dark haired man nodded, "And you must be… oh. Lucy?"

"Rogue? Rogue Chaney?" Lucy's face lit up when she got a good look at him, "It's been so long!"

Rogue smiled softly as Lucy wrapped her arms around him, "It has. It's good to see you."

Natsu blinked, a tight feeling in his chest when he asked, "You guys know each other?"

"Yeah! We met in college," she grinned at her neighbor, "he's also the cousin of someone who works for me."

"She's talking about Sting," Rogue added.

"Oh," Natsu couldn't tell what was wrong with him, why did it bother him that Lucy was friends with Rogue? "He's Gajeel's cousin too, and mine and Wendy's."

"You must have a big family then," Lucy stood back, how were any of them related? None of them looked alike.

"Yeah," Rogue chuckled, "Now, you wanted to take out Blaze and Star? I have them ready for you."

"Yosh! Let's go Lucy!" he grabbed the blondes hand and ran off, "Thanks Rogue!"

"Natsu! Slow down!" Lucy turned her head, "We'll catch up later, Rogue!"

Natsu growled when he heard Rogue agree, what did it matter anyway? She was just his neighbor.

They reached the barn that had two horses saddled up and ready to go. A dark brown stallion and a white and tan mare.

"This is Star," Natsu placed Lucy's hand steadily on the horse's nose, "she's really gentle. I think you'll like her."

"Hi there," Lucy scratched the soft muzzle of the beautiful creature.

"And this guy is Blaze!" Natsu ran his hands over the other horse's neck, "I've had him since he was born!"

"You must be close," Lucy was almost jealous of how much Natsu has done and can do.

"Now," Natsu sent Lucy a smug grin, "You know how to get on a horse?"

"Of course I do!" Lucy scoffed, she stood next to the horse and lifted her foot up to the stirrup.

"Nu uh," Natsu crossed his arms, his shoulders shaking from the laughter he was holding in.

"What?" Lucy grabbed both sides of the saddle, her weight moving to her foot in the stirrup, but that caused Star to move away from her, "Hey-!"

"You never get on or off a horse on their right side," Natsu helped Lucy stand properly or otherwise she would have fallen face first on the ground, "always the left."

"What? Why?"

"You want the official version?" Natsu held the horse's reigns, raising a brow at Lucy.

Deciding to see if he really knew his stuff, she said, "Yes."

"I was taught to always get on or off on the "near" side. That's its left side. The right side is called the "off" side. It goes back to war times, soldiers with their swords and stuff."

"Oh," Lucy blinked, not expecting him to really know. She was expecting "because I said so", or something like that.

"What," his grin was awfully smug, "you think I was stupid or something?"

"N-No!" Lucy stomped to the horse's left side and successfully got in the saddle.

Natsu just laughed and mounted his own horse, "Good! Now let's ride!"

* * *

"That was so much fun!"

Natsu chuckled, she had said that about 20 times since they left the ranch.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he rubbed her head, messing up her ponytail.

"Me too," she smiled genuinely at him, "thanks for taking me."

Natsu's face flushed, "Su-sure."

They reached their hallway in no time, the elevator was still on the fritz so they had to walk up to the fifth floor. Lucy's legs were killing her, especially after being on a horse all day.

"Well, thanks again. I'm super excited to get in the shower now," she giggled, "so I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," Natsu felt a fluttery feeling in his gut, "unless you want to have dinner with me? I was gonna make some fried chicken."

"Oh," Lucy had dug her key out and was holding them awkwardly when he asked, "well I am hungry…"

"I'm a good cook!" Natsu quickly added, "I got some vegetables I'm gonna make. I don't eat junk all the time…"

" _Well, it is early. And it wouldn't hurt to have some company while eating,_ " she thought as Natsu kept saying things that would get her to join him.

"That sounds great, I'll come over after I shower," she turned around to unlock her door, not seeing the wide grin on Natsu's face.

"Great! I'll get started," he turned around himself and jumped when Lucy yelled at him.

"YOU BETTER SHOWER! I WON'T COME NEAR YOU IF YOU STILL STINK!"

"Geez," he stepped into his apartment, "fine I'll shower."

"Good," grinning victoriously, Lucy went into her own apartment.

Natsu laid his back against his door. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to take in this moment. He didn't know what it was about her, but he didn't want to be away from her. Being with her gave him such a lighthearted feeling that he wanted to always feel. She made all his bad thoughts disappear, and his muscles relaxed when he heard her voice.

He grinned, shaking his head a little to free his mind from these racing thoughts of a woman he barely knew, but already liked. Then ran around the living room and kitchen to clean it up a bit. He hadn't had company since he moved in, and it had gotten a little messy.

He got under the water long enough to get rid of the horse stench before racing to get dressed and start his fryer.

Thirty minutes later, a soft knock alerted him to his neighbor coming over. He dropped his hand towel once, picked it up and dropped it again before he ran to the door. Breathing in and out, he tried to calm himself down. He didn't know why he was so nervous, it was Lucy. His weird neighbor.

"Yo," he threw the door open in his normal fashion. Eyes widened when he saw the blonde CEO.

"Hey," she smelled amazing, was it strawberries? And man did she look cute, she had on those skin tight yoga pants and a sweater that went half way down her thighs.

She cocked her head, smiling, "Food smells good. Can I come in?"

"Yeah," he opened the door wider for her, "duh, that's why you're here. To eat me. WITH ME! I mean, ya know, I'd probably taste horrible. Eat with me, yeah."

Lucy covered her mouth so he wouldn't see her giggles. This was the first time she was in his apartment, also the first time she wasn't bribed to hang out with him. She was getting better.

"Anything I can do to help?" she stared at Natsu when he closed the door, long black sleep pants and a red t-shirt that, not surprising, had a dragon on it. He was definitely cute.

"Um," Natsu stopped walking and rubbed his hands on his pants, they were suddenly sweaty, "not really. Everything is almost done. Unless you want get plates out and stuff?"

"I can do that," she gestured to his cabinets, "where do I begin?"

"OH!" he pointed to a few drawers, "there. Um, I got some cans in the fridge so we don't need glasses."

"Alright," she hummed happily as she looked for plates. Natsu slowly walked to his fryer, checking on the kitchen. He took a side glance at Lucy, and she looked right at home in his kitchen. Her presence made it feel all the more warmer, like a real home.

Shaking his head, he started to get bowls out for his vegetables. Corn, beans, and mashed potatoes. Simple and good, just the way he liked it.

It only took a few more minutes before the chicken was done and they were sitting down to eat at his bar, since he didn't have an actual table.

"Well, dig in!"

Natsu immediately started eating with vigor, Lucy took her time to savor the meal he made. It was the first home cooked meal she had had since she started to live on her own. And it was delicious.

"Wow, this is great Natsu! You should cook for a living!" Lucy praised.

Natsu's eyes widened and he choked. Startled, Lucy patted him on the back, not sure how he could choke on mashed potatoes.

"So-sorry," he pounded his chest, "wrong pipe."

"Let me get you some water," she got up and rounded the bar.

"No," he coughed again, "I'm OK."

"Are you sure?" Lucy wrung her hands together, she never knew she could worry about someone she hardly knew. But she did, his wellbeing was starting to top her list. Ever since he told her he practically lived for danger.

"Positive," he smacked the stool she had been occupying, "now come back over here and eat!"

"OK," she giggled to herself. There was no reason to worry about a human vacuum, as Wendy called him.

"But, uh," Natsu gulped, "thanks for the compliment."

"No problem!" Lucy scooped up another helping of chicken, "This is the best, it's so simple but there is something different about it. Like you put your on twist on it."

"Ye-yeah," Natsu was sweating.

Thankfully, dinner ended much better than it started. They talked about his cousins and Lucy found out that none of them were related, they were all just adopted by the same family.

"Thanks for having me over," Lucy told him once they were done washing the dishes, "but I need to go."

"Uh, you don't have to go. We can watch a movie or something," Natsu almost whined, he didn't want her to leave.

"I would, but I'll have to go in early tomorrow to make up for not being at word today."

"Oh," he stared down at the floor, "sorry."

"No! Don't apologize! I had such a good time," she poked him in the chest, "I'm glad you kidnapped me for the day. I needed a break."

"Well, duh you needed a break," Natsu walked her to the door, running a hand through his hair, "Wendy always told me how hard her boss worked. Didn't expect to meet you, though."

"Ah," Lucy stepped into the bright lights of the hallway, holding back a yawn when she said, "thanks again. Goodnight, Natsu."

"What? I don't get a goodnight hug or nothing?" Natsu pouted, crossing his arms like a child.

Nervously, Lucy narrowed her eyes, he had never asked for one before, "I guess so."

Natsu's lopsided grin was becoming pretty common for her to see, and she really liked it.

"Night, Lucy," he yanked her into his chest and held on tight. She was so much smaller than he was, she fit right into his arms, like God made her specifically for him.

" _Wow,"_ Lucy thought, _"I don't think there would be a safer place than right here…"_ she was snuggled deep into Natsu's arms, and he was warm. Warm enough to be a permanent snuggle buddy on those cold winter mornings.

Lucy's eyes flew open, " _What?! Lucy, what are you thinking?! He's just your neighbor! He's not going to be your personal heater. Even if he is nice, and sweet, and a gentleman…"_

Before she actually admitted to herself she had a crush on him, Lucy pulled back and locked eyes with him. She smiled and said, "Goodnight."

Natsu was in a daze as he stared back at her. He loved all things spicy and hot, but nothing set him on fire more than her smile. He licked his lips, wondering just how hers would taste. They were a light shade of pink. Her bottom lip was slightly bigger than the top, and it had a permanent bite mark in it from when she's concentrating. Without realizing it, he leaned in.

Lucy watched in shock as he leaned towards her, his gaze directed at her mouth. Knowing what he was about to do but not knowing why made her call out to him, "Natsu?"

Her voice stopped him just inches away from changing everything. He looked up into her beautiful brown eyes, seeing a little nervousness in them. He swallowed and pulled back, stepping away from her too.

"Uh, night… neighbor," he closed the door and leaned back against it, he was really about to kiss her…

Lucy watched in walk inside, in a daze herself. Was he really about to kiss her?

* * *

Have any of you caught on to what Nastu might really be? I hinted at it some here, but it's definitely not the whole thing! Keep on the look out for more clues!

You should all go check out my new fics!

 _You Forgot_ : Chapter 2- Four years have passed since the night Natsu's life was changed. Now he wants to thank her, and he only knows one way to truly do that. The question is, will she accept?

 _Lines_ : There is nothing cheesier than pick-up lines. Except for maybe 3 pick-up lines.

 _The List_ : Since he was born, Natsu has had heart problems. And feeling like he's been a burden to his friends and family, he moves away. But it isn't long until he is admitted to the hospital. If he can't find a donor soon, he won't make it. Can a blonde nurse help him make his last days enjoyable? Or will she give his will to live just enough strength and time to be saved?

 _Save A Horse_ : Veterinarian Lucy is tired of men asking her out for her fathers money or her looks alone. When a cute man comes into her clinic with his sick pup, how will Lucy respond to a date? Will he be the one? Or will it be the farmer that she's had a crush on since college?

 _Love Blood and Fur :_ chapter 5 is up!

XOXO - Smile


	5. Neighbors

It's been too long! Please forgive me... But hey, this chapter is the start of a long updating spree. So enjoy!

Also, next chapter will be the last one! And it'll be pretty long too. I can't wait to finally share with you guys what Natsu finally does! I think some of you have figured it out already haha.

I have several fics in the works right now. Including a Harry Potter AU! Finally decided to give it a try.

Without further ado...

 _Fary Tail_ and its characters belong to Hiro Masima

* * *

It had been about two months since Natsu had taken her horseback riding. About twice a week since then, he had taken her somewhere crazy. They found a nest of baby sea turtles when he took her to the beach and he had gotten a cold the weekend he took her up the mountain to go skiing. Anything and everything had happened.

And the craziest thing was, she enjoyed it. She even looked forward to him knocking on her door! His coffee was amazing, plus he was good looking. Really… good looking.

Lucy rung out her washcloth, as if she was strangling her heart from all these feelings.

"Of course," she huffed to herself, "the busy CEO would fall for the first person to show her what life is like outside of the office."

Sighing, she grabbed her shampoo bottle. It was almost midnight, but it was the earliest time she had to shower. Natsu had literally just left her apartment after they made a late dinner together.

She had fallen, hard and fast for her neighbor. And she had no idea what to do.

5:30 in the morning came way too soon for Lucy's liking. She yawned as she stepped into the hallway and turned to lock her door.

Before making her way to the elevator, she glanced at the door across from her own. There was a festive wreath hanging there. Christmas was just a few weeks away, and he was more than ready for it. She should know, he begged her to help him put his decorations, even if she hadn't put hers yet. He promised to help her with that his weekend, but she may have to take him shopping with her since she didn't actually own many decorations.

Sighing, Lucy walked into the brand-new elevator that Natsu helped install. He was such an enigma. He could do all these things so well…

"And I still don't know what he does for a living…" she pouted, all this time spent together and she still didn't know!

Stepping out of the elevator, she dragged her feet to her car, stopping when she almost ran into someone… who was normally not conscious at this hour, "Natsu?"

"Huh?" the pink-haired mechanic sleepily looked at her, "Mornin' Lucy."

"What are you doing down here so early?" she suddenly felt overdressed in her white pea coat that went to her knees, it covered her gray blazer and pencil skirt. Compared to how Natsu told her to dressed on their outings, it was way too formal.

But taking a second glance, he wasn't dressed all that casual either. He was in a nice pair of jeans, no rips or markings. A white button up shirt with its sleeves rolled to his elbows that really accented his tan. The scarf he had started wearing the moment the temperature dropped was present around his neck, a jacket thrown over his shoulder. This was the most dressed up she had seen him since they met.

"Got a work thing," he yawned, his hand traveled to his stomach, lifting his untucked shirt and showing off his toned abdomen.

"You sure are dressed nice," Lucy scooted around him to get going. He had started to park beside her everyday with whatever vehicle he was currently driving. Today the truck was there, "won't they get dirty?"

"Nah," he walked beside her to the car door. His hand rested on the low of her back, he had been getting more comfortable when it came to touching her, "more like a meeting kinda thing."

"Meeting? Where at?"

"Classified information," he winked, not moving an inch on telling her.

She huffed, "Alright. Well, good luck then."

Natsu watched as she got in the car, holding the door so she couldn't close it, "wait."

"Yeah?"

He swallowed thickly, this may be his last chance, especially after today…

"Natsu? Lucy held her keys in her lap, waiting on him to speak. The quiet of the early winter morning was calming, but it also made her heart beat quicken the longer he stayed quiet.

"Would you…" he closed his eyes, shook his head before squatting down to her, he lifted his head to gaze into her eyes, "would you like to have dinner with me?"

"We have dinner together all the time, we had dinner together last night," she told him, she felt her heart pound when he shook his head no.

"No… not like that. Like… get dressed up and go somewhere… a date…" his face got redder the more he talked.

"A date?" it reminded her of their first outing, he had just been joking then though.

"Yeah, a date," he chuckled, "ya know, I like you, you like me, romantic outing thing,"

" _Romantic outing thing, smooth,"_ she giggled, "Sure, I'd love to."

Natsu's whole face lit, "Yosh! Get ready for the most romantic night of your life!"

Lucy giggled, never had she been asked out by a man who acted so childish right after. But it was an adorable change.

Natsu took one of Lucy's hands in his, his gaze was off in another world when he said, "You'll still go no matter what, right? Nothing would change?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, confused at why he was asking such a thing, "No of course not. I like you… I want to go… out with you…"

" _Geez! You sound like a blushing school girl, Lucy!"_ she yelled at herself, groaning at how pathetic she sounded.

"Good," he sighed in relief, "just remember that, OK?"

"OK?" dumbfounded, Lucy stared as Natsu got in his truck after he kissed her hand. The spot his lips touched tingled with a lingering warm sensation.

"Don't think too much about it, see ya Lucy!" After that he closed his door and took off out of the small parking deck.

"And he calls me weird…" Lucy started her own vehicle, turning the heat on. Magnolia didn't stay cold long in winter, but the early mornings were a killer, "guess I'll find out later."

* * *

Lucy was answering emails all morning, not even paying attention to Erza telling her about her meeting later that day, not until Sting burst into her office, "Hey, boss lady!"

Sting was a good friend from college like Rogue, she hired him to travel and take note of what each of her stores needed. He never traveled in December though for the holidays. And he tended to stick around the office even when he didn't have to be here.

"Address her correctly!" Erza roared, almost throwing her tablet to the floor.

"Oops, sorry!" he chuckled, then he ran up to Lucy's desk, putting his hands flat on it so he could lean towards the CEO, "You're finally meeting with that restaurant owner I told you about, aren't you?!"

"Huh?" _"what restaurant owner?"_

"Yes," Erza sat comfortably on the couch and pulled up Lucy's schedule, "they will be here in a half hour."

"Oh right," Lucy had forgotten all about it.

"If you like 'em then you gotta put one in every store!"

"I don't think every store really needs a restaurant," Lucy told him as she too pulled up her schedule to get more information on her upcoming meeting.

"Well it's more like a café than a full-blown restaurant," Sting scratched the back of his head, similar to how Natsu always does when he laughs. Lucy cursed, she knew how he _scratched his head_?!

Shaking her head, Lucy pulled the website for the restaurant up, it looked very nice, "How do you know the owners, Sting?"

"Classified information," he stuck his tongue and thrust a peace sign in front of her face.

"Sting," Erza growled, "are you withholding vital information from Lucy?"

"N-No!" he ran and cowered behind the chair sitting across from the temperamental red-head, "I just want her to give them a fair chance! No playing favorites!"

"Why would I not give them a chance?"

"Kind of a homey place, small town owners," Sting shrugged, "the guys who own it like to keep things small, old fashioned like."

That made zero sense, but it somehow fit the image that Lucy created when the company was handed to her.

"I promise I'll give them a chance," she smiled, nodding to the fellow blonde.

"Thanks!" he stood straight up and said, "I gotta get going thought. I wanna see which store will be ready for them first!"

He then ran out of the office with a large grin and happy skip in his step.

"We'll see though, they should be here soon," Erza looked at her watch, standing and heading out behind Sting, "I'll get some coffee ready. Conference room 3 is available I think."

"Yeah," Lucy began digging through her drawers for a new notebook, with each new add on to her company she started it fresh.

"I wonder why it doesn't even give the owners names," Lucy glanced at the website one last time. The pictures of their dishes looked like _heaven._

"Maybe I can get a free dinner," she snickered. She continued to go through the menu, each item had an image of the dish. Sting was right, it looked more like a café than anything else, their specialty coffee being the most popular item.

"I wonder how well it'll stack up to Natsu's," she tapped her fingers on her desk, trying to hold back a smile while thinking of the man her heart had started to yearn for.

"Lucy," Erza called, "they're here."

"Right!" she jumped up, ready to tackle on this new opportunity.

On the way to the conference room, Erza told her of all the things the owners had accomplished, apparently, they were brothers. Lucy noticed she still didn't know their names once they reached the door.

"Thank you for waiting," Erza entered the room first, "I introduce to you our CEO, Lucy Heartfilia."

Putting on her best smile, Lucy held her head high as she walked inside.

She thought she was past the point of being surprised by him, obviously not.

In the room sat two men. One had dark hair, pale skin, and an immaculate suit. He wore a pleasant smile, and nodded to her when she glanced at him.

The other one, however…

Natsu gulped, grinning awkwardly, "Hey there, neighbor…"

* * *

Uh oh... heheh ^^ i seriously came up with the title thanks to that last line. Anyway, I know this one is kinda short. But the last chapter (that will HOPEFULLY be out in a few days) will make up for it. I'm sad that its about to over, but i'm glad cause that means i get to post new stuff! I've really enjoyed this little fic. It was supposed to be fun and light hearted and i think i succeed :)

HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN READING THE MANGA?! HAVE YOU SEEN THE UPDATES ABOUT THE MOVIE?! **FINALLY!**

See you guys next time, xoxo-Smile


	6. A New Path

I'm so sad that this is over. But I really enjoyed this little multi-chap! I made it strictly for fun and fluff, and I hope I delivered. But thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I hope you'll continue to read my fanfics! At the bottom I'll tell you what is coming up :)

 _Fairy Tail_ and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima

* * *

Lucy stood there, mouth gaping open, her eyes as wide as saucers.

" _Natsu?! He's the restaurant owner?!"_

"Neighbor?" Erza questioned, she must have forgotten all about him.

"Yow!" Natsu yelped, reaching for his leg underneath the table and glaring at the man sitting next to him, who glared right back.

"Pardon him," he stood and walked, more like glided, across the floor before stopping in front of Lucy, holding out his hand, "my name is Zeref Dragneel. It is an honor to finally meet you," he then gestured to Natsu, "this is both my partner and my little brother, Natsu. But I believe the two of you have already met."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Lucy shook his hand, forcing down her shock, "and um, yes. We are neighbors."

Lucy missed the look of disappointment that crossed Natsu's face.

"Oh!" Erza snapped her fingers, "You're the one who fixed our plumbing a few months ago! You're Wendy's cousin!"

"Uh, yeah…" Natsu's grin was a little strained.

"Natsu does tend to do various jobs when he's not cooking," Zeref chuckled.

" _So… he's a chef?"_ Lucy smiled, Erza was asking Zeref and herself to sit so they could begin when Lucy remembered, " _The coffee! They're famous for tit! Is that what Natsu has been bribing me with? Was all for this?!"_

"Thank you again for meeting with us, I hope Sting didn't talk your ear off," Zeref said as he spread out several menus.

"Not at all," Lucy kept her eyes on Zeref, trying to ignore the stare from her neighbor. Like hell she would even look at him after what he has done, "But he did tell me how homey and small-town like you are. I really like that. And for a home ware store like ours, it may be prefect."

"Thank you," Zeref handed her an older laminated menu, "this was out very first menu. Natsu and I ran this one ourselves until we decided to expand."

"I see," she ignored a snort coming from the pink-haired chef and smiled at the one paged menu. The edges were wrinkled and yellow in some spots. The time weren't kind, but that just added to its appeal.

"You now run several branched of… Happy Times? Is that the correct name?"

"Yes, about a year after we began we were asked to open a branch in Oak Town. Magnolia is where we started, out head branch is here. But we moved our office to Crocus," Zeref beamed as he explained.

"What duties do you have?" Lucy abruptly asked, "Or rather, when you began, that is…"

Zeref nodded, "I handled our finances and waiting our tables. The one here in Magnolia is our smallest restaurant, so it was easy to do with just one waiter. Whenever I get to visit one I tend to work as a host if needed."

"Your finances are the most organized I've ever seen," Erza mumbled, Lucy had to agree. Which caused Zeref's cheeks to pink a little.

The room remained oddly quiet for several moments. Zeref finally cleared his throat before asking, "Natsu, did Ms. Heartfilia not ask you something?"

"Huh?" Natsu had been glaring at the table since the conversation started.

Zeref glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, "Tell them what you do, Natsu."

"Oh!" Natsu patted his pockets like he was looking for something.

"Any day now," Zeref whispered, all the while keeping a smile on his face.

"Right," Natsu looked right at Lucy, sending his best and most beautiful smile, "every item on the menu is my creation. I made each one with my own recipes. Everything is original."

"All of them?" Lucy stared, bewildered at the table. There were over 5 different menus! With all kinds of cuisines!

"Growing up, Natsu was always in the kitchen experimenting with spices and anything else he could find. By the time we opened Happy Times, we had more than enough items to choose from," Zeref had pride shining in his eyes, "Now he travels from each location making sure the cooks are preparing all meals as instructed. While also working on new creations every day.

"Wonderful!" Erza clapped, "You wouldn't happen to have a strawberry cake, would you?"

"Sure do!" Natsu grinned, "We only sell them in summer so we can use the freshest fruit. Same for all fruit based meals."

Erza turned to her boss, stars in her eyes, "Strawberry cake make with fresh strawberries!"

"Our father owns quite a bit of land he lets us use for our crop," Zeref handed Lucy a few pictures of the land.

"Wow," they hadn't even started the deal yet and Lucy was sold, "do you have anything for us to try?"

"Um," Natsu started, a blush spreading over his tanned cheeks, "I brought some coffee…"

" _Coffee?!"_ Lucy glared at the chef, his cheeks were now as bright as his hair. He grimaced the longer she stared.

"Oh yes," Zeref reached down to a bag on the floor, "Natsu's coffee has become our most popular item."

"Does it go will with your strawberry cake?" Erza's eyes still sparkled, Lucy sighed. The hardened woman always caved when it came to the sweet.

"It is made special per the meal it was ordered with," Zeref winked at the red-head and Lucy had to check his left hand to make sure it was harmless. A black and silver ring sat on his fourth finger, perfect, "to be honest, I don't even know what makes it taste different. The only ones who know and the ones who prepare it. You have to sign Natsu's special waver about ingredients to know."

"A secret, huh," Lucy gazed fondly at the tub of coffee Zeref placed on the table.

"Top secret," Natsu told her, pouting when she rolled her eyes.

"Will you make me some?" Lucy pointed to the coffee pot in the back of the room.

"Ye-yeah," Natsu took the tub and walked slowly to the maker. Feeling more let down now than anything else he had ever tried in his life.

The conversation finally turned to what Lucy wanted for her business and what she expected to gain with the addition of adding small portions of Happy Times. Followed by what Zeref was expecting with more business they would be getting with their compromise.

Erza put in her thoughts every now and then, but Natsu stayed silent. Lucy assumed it was because Zeref was the actual owner, but she came to find out that Natsu owned it all!

Lucy stared at the paper with the final documents. In the place where the owners name went, Natsu Dragneel was in the line, while Zeref's was in the co-owners spot. But it also looked like Zeref was also the face of the restaurant, but Natsu made all final decisions.

Erza and Zeref were going over final numbers when Lucy reconnected to the conversation.

"I need to use the restroom, if you'll excuse me," Lucy nodded to the three, then left the room.

She walked over to Erza's area in front of her office door, the chairs for waiting were also in this spot. Lucy sat in the cushy red seat to think.

She held a cup of Natsu's coffee in her hands, it was still warm and just as sweet. But she already knew how it tasted, and that's why she was so confused. Why did he try so hard to be friends with her? Why did he ask her out? Was it all just to get a merger with her company?

She honestly didn't know if she more angry or disappointed…

"I made that especially for you, just so you know…"

Lucy jerked her head up, not expecting to be followed. Especially not him, he already consumed her thoughts, couldn't she have some space?

"What are you talking about?" she nearly growled.

He looked nervous, but continued, "I started to watch everything you ate and noticed you like the more bitter flavors, with a dash of sweet. So, I made a new blend of coffee just for you… It's not even on our menu yet," he was shuffling his feet, hand deep in his pockets.

"So you made a special coffee just for me? When were you going to tell me that?" She stood to be directly in front of him, "was that your plan to butter me up for today?"

"What? NO-!"

"Is that what this has all been about?" she gestured to herself, she meant him always hanging out with her, "Was it all just for a business deal?!"

His eyes widened in panic, "NO! Lucy-!"

"And you even had the audacity to ask me out this morning!" she took a moment to remember exactly what he said, "You knew about the meeting and asked me! Made me promise not to change my mind!"

"I can explain!" he scrambled, he held his hands up, like he was going to reach for her, "I didn't-!"

"You know what," she cut him off, "I gave you a chance for Sting, and I like what I see. So I'll make the deal with Happy Times," she then narrowed her eyes, she knew from the start he was going to turn her world upside down, "but you can forget the date. I'm done spending time with a liar."

"I didn't lie- AAHHHH!" he screamed when Lucy threw her remaining coffee on his face.

"What do you mean you didn't lie?!" Lucy screeched, "You said you were between jobs!"

"I was!" he furiously wiped his face, thankful that it had cooled down tremendously.

"Right," she huffed, turning away from him and crossing her arms. She was beyond grateful no one would be able to hear them from up here.

"I…" he sighed in defeat, "I… used to work with Zeref, in an office. Working a desk job for the restaurant."

She glared at the rose-colored carpet, refusing to give him the satisfaction that she was listening.

"I hated every minute of it. I worked like that for five years, I didn't have time for myself anymore," he raised his arm to scratch his neck under scarf, at a scar that he told Lucy still itched from time to time.

Lucy peaked at him from under her bangs, he looked nothing like the confidant man she knew… and liked.

"So a few months ago, I told Zeref the suit and tie thing wasn't for me. I was living with him in Crocus at the time, so I moved in with Wendy until I could find my own place," he finally lifted his eyes to look at her, even if he couldn't see her face, "I started to do little handyman jobs here and there, just so I could work with my hands again. I still own Happy Times, and like Zeref said, I do go from branch to branch checking on my chefs. You never notice cause you're always working…"

"So that's why you choose random times to hang out with me…" Lucy said, finally understanding his erratic schedule.

"Yeah," his arms went down to his sides, he took one step closer to her.

"It still… doesn't make much sense."

"About what I do?" he questioned.

"No, I get that. You travel to your restaurants, you do mechanic work on the side, and somehow find the time to make new dishes for your menu."

"Exactly," he grinned, raising his hands to put behind his head, "so what doesn't make sense?"

"Me. Why did you start wanting to hang out with me?" Lucy fully turned to him, taking a step closer as well.

Natsu just stood there for a few moments, blinking. Until suddenly he showed her his pearly whites and taking the few steps left to reach her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Lucy blushed furiously, he had never outright embraced her like this, especially not chest to chest when he smelt so sweet!

"When I lived with Wendy," he pulled back enough to look into her eyes, but he kept his arms securely around her, "she talked about you all the time. How great you were to take on such a young college kid for your secretary. She never had one bad thing to say about you. Except all her stories were about work, and some great thing you did in the office. I even asked her once what you did when you weren't working."

Lucy had to turn away from his piercing stare, she focused on the top button on his shirt. She knew what Wendy must have told him.

"She said she didn't know, cause all you ever do is work," he scoffed, "Wendy's young, she didn't get what I got so pissed off."

"You were mad?"

"Of course," he lifted her chin so he could rest his forehead against hers, and gaze into beautiful eyes once more, "you sounded just like me. In a job that took over your life and left you o time to even take care of yourself. A job you didn't even want."

"No I didn't want it, I was handed this company when my father died," she smacked away his hand holding her still, "but you chose yours-!"

"No I didn't!" Natsu almost yelled, he gripped her arms tightly, not realizing he was holding her for dear life, "Zeref decided to take the offer to make us a franchise! He didn't even ask me! And it's my damn business! And because of him forging my signature the one time everything changed… I loved being a small restaurant owner. I knew all my customers by name and I got to cook all the time. And then all of a sudden I was filing paperwork and looking at numbers… I wasn't doing what I wanted anymore…"

Lucy fingered Natsu's shirt, not liking the frown on his face. He looked much better with a smile. And she couldn't bear to see him so upset.

"I left Zeref with his numbers and office, exactly where he always wanted to be, and came home to Magnolia. To do something that I wanted," he winked, moving one of hands back to her chin, holding her still, "And when I met you and I found out you were the boss Wendy was always talkin' about, I made it my goal to help you before you became as miserable as I was."

"I wasn't miserable," Lucy argued.

"Not yet, but if I hadn't started making you go out and actually have fun, wouldn't you be?"

Biting her lip, Lucy had to admit that he was right. And it was right when she met him that she was already thinking that exact same thing. She had been in a slump before they met.

He… brought life back to her.

"I guess I should thank you," she immediately blushed as she went over this whole argument, "and apologize."

"Apologize?" he raised one eyebrow, "What for?"

"I just accused you of flirting for the sake of your business," she closed her eyes, squeezing them shut in shame, "that was wrong. I should have known better. I know you…"

"I honestly didn't even know about this meeting until I got home last night, at midnight. Zeref tends to only let me know last second before I have to be somewhere," his gaze softened as he ran his thumb over Lucy's tinted cheeks, "that's why I asked you out this morning. I was afraid if I waited you really would have said no. Also why I kinda made you promise to not change your mind."

Lucy shyly put her hand over his before opening her eyes. Natsu winked at her again, making her cheeks darken even more.

"Sorry," she told him, not understanding when he shook his head and again leaned his head on hers.

"Nah. Just go on that date with me and I'll forgive you."

Lucy smiled, thankful he was so great, "Count on it."

"YOSH!"

"Oh… um," she then realized why he smelled so sweet, "sorry about… well… throwing my coffee on you."

"I've worked in a kitchen my whole life," he laughed, "that was nothing. Wait until you try to lift a pan into a 3-story oven without any oven mitts on!"

"I guess that's true," Lucy stepped away from him to put her empty mug on Erza's desk, "let's go on back, I'm worried Erza may try to get her hands on your cake recipe."

"Considering Zeref can't cook to save his life, I'm not too worried," he rested his arm around her shoulders, "she'll have to go to my Magnolia branch to get some."

Lucy giggled and was about to reply when he said, "You, on the other hand… I think I'd be willing to make you just about anything you asked."

"You'll cook for me?" She didn't know why she asked, he's cooked for her before.

"That's what I planned for our first official date. I kinda fudged up when I cooked for you before, didn't wanna seem to perfect and scare ya off," he tugged her closer to put his nose in her hair, "But this time I'm gonna go all out if I wanna woo you!"

"Woo me? I think you've already done that," she stopped walking and immediately tried to think of a way to backpedal what she just said. Did she really just say that to him?!

But Natsu didn't say anything, he just grabbed her hand and dragged her along back to the conference room.

"Come on, neighbor! Let's go!" he faced away from her, so she couldn't see the full-blown blush on his face.

She smiled, she'd go with him anywhere. He showed her a brand-new way to enjoy life. He took away the miserable path she was headed down and created one just for her, for the both of them.

"All right!"

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate you even if I don't get to talk to each reader :)

 _In case I never said it, Lucy is 25 and Natsu is 26 (Zeref 28). Natsu and Zeref started when Natsu was 20, and 21 when he started working in the office. Lucy took over her fathers company when she was 22, so just three years. I think it takes about a full year for you to really hate a job, and three years is the max amount of time you'll stay before finding something else, or it is in my case._

 **Coming Soon!**

Next thing to be updated and completed is going to be _Love, Blood, and Fur_. After that, my three one shots are going to be completed: _You Forgot, Save A Horse,_ and _The List._ I don't have an order for those just yet, but they're going to be finished soon. And somewhere I plan on updating Smiling Melodies..

After that, I have a few one shots in the making! They're actually already half typed, so once I get to them it won't take me long to finish them.

THEN! I have a Yu-Gi-Oh! One shot I'm working on. When I went to see Dark Side of Dimensions, I just got this urge to write about friendship. And while I love the friendship of the gang, and Yugi and Atem's friendship, I decided to write about Atem and Mahad. Starting from their lives as children in Egypt, up to the moment where Atem loses the ceremonial duel. It's long, and I can't wait to share it.

NEXT! I have a MULTI-CHAP fic I've been dying to start! It's thought out (something I never do) and it's more action packed than I ever do. Something different to test my skills as a writer because i'm quite terrible at action scenes! Once I have a better summary, I'll let you know more. For now I call it my **Element AU.**

 _ **FINALLY!**_ RainKandySux and I are starting a YGO collab. Staring some OC characters (another thing I have never tried). It's gonna be wild and amazing. Stay tuned for more info on that as well!

Anyway, I love you guys. Thanks for always supporting me. You sure know how to make a girl smile :)


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